ASIATODAY.ID, MOSCOW – Russia has sharply condemned what it called a blatant act of US “armed aggression” against Venezuela, after President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces carried out strikes and claimed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country.
In a statement on Saturday, January 3, 2026, Russia’s Foreign Ministry denounced the attack and urged maximum restraint, warning that continued escalation could destabilize the entire region.
Moscow reaffirmed its solidarity with the Venezuelan people and backed calls for an urgent UN Security Council meeting, stressing that Latin America must remain a zone of peace free from external interference.
The condemnation followed reports of multiple explosions in Caracas, where residents described low-flying warplanes, helicopters, and possible drone activity over the capital.
Venezuelan officials said the US had launched direct strikes not only in Caracas, but also in the nearby states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil accused Washington of attempting to seize control of the country’s vast natural resources, calling the operation a direct assault on national sovereignty.
Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee, went further, describing the strikes as a US military operation aimed at forcibly changing an “undesirable” government.
He accused Washington of imposing its will through violence rather than diplomacy.
Shortly after the explosions, Venezuela declared a state of emergency, while President Maduro—prior to Trump’s claim of his capture—had warned that any direct US military action would be met with resistance.
Trump has repeatedly accused Caracas of facilitating large-scale drug trafficking and has authorized expanded US military operations targeting alleged smuggling routes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
Maduro has consistently rejected the allegations, calling them a pretext for regime change.
Regional backlash grows
The reported US strikes have drawn swift reactions across Latin America.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the attack in the strongest terms, urging immediate international action.
“Our zone of peace is being brutally assaulted,” he said, denouncing what he called state terrorism against the Venezuelan people and against Our America.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro struck a more cautious tone, saying Bogotá was monitoring the situation “with deep concern” amid reports of explosions and unusual aerial activity.
Nevertheless, he rejected any unilateral military action that could endanger civilians or worsen regional instability.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales also condemned the strikes, calling them a “brutal imperialist aggression” and declaring solidarity with Venezuela.
“Venezuela is not alone,” he said.
The crisis marks a dramatic escalation in already fraught US–Venezuela relations, raising fears of wider regional fallout as global powers and neighboring states react to what Caracas and its allies describe as the most serious foreign assault on the country in years. (RT)
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